The NFL’s 100th season has officially passed, and what a week of action it was. From standout rookie-sophomore performances to surprising victories, Week 1 had it all. While every team in the league was in action, half of them had to go home 0-1. Some teams lost in rather disappointing fashion while others made a statement fresh out the gate. On that note, my NFL Stock Market has officially opened. After all of the Week One performances, I highlight those whose stock is rising and whose stock quickly declined.
Stock Up: Lamar Jackson vs. Dolphins
Week 1 Stats: 85% completion percentage, 324 passing yards, 5 passing touchdowns, and a perfect 158.3 passer rating.
We expected the Dolphins to be a bad team this season. But, what I didn’t expect was for the Ravens, of all teams, to drop 59 points on them.
Lamar Jackson led his team to a 59-10 decimation of Miami on the road. As far as Jackson’s skill-set is concerned, the biggest question mark was whether or not he could throw the ball consistently and accurately. This game showed that he’s more than capable of doing so. Jackson really should have notched over 400-yards, but the blowout was just that bad.
In the first half alone, Jackson went 10/11 with 210 passing yards and four touchdowns, leading to a perfect passer rating. It was very impressive to see the sophomore quarterback flourish in the areas that he was scrutinized in under a year ago. And, the crazy part about this performance is that the area Jackson flourishes most, rushing, is where he did the least damage, only tallying six rushing yards.
Numbers aside, Jackson made a statement with his performance. Again, it was against who may end up as the worst team in the league, but still, no one expected him to be that good. He threw it deep with accuracy all game long. Jackson even had an impressive touchdown pass off his back foot which is “not bad for a running back.”
If Jackson wants his stock to keep rising, he’ll have to perform like this against the better teams in the NFL. Week 2 sees Baltimore take on the Cardinals. While Arizona is still subpar, they’re a step up from Miami. I’m excited to see what else Jackson can do in the coming weeks.
Stock Down: Baker Mayfield vs. Titans
Week 1 Stats: 65.8 completion percentage, 285 passing yards, 1 passing touchdown, 3 interceptions, and a 64.0 passer rating.
I’m outraged at Mayfield’s performance more than anyone else. That’s mainly because I started Baker Mayfield over Philip Rivers in fantasy. All jokes aside, Mayfield labeled he and the Browns as overrated after that disappointing performance. At some points during the game, Mayfield seemed as if he was trying to nail throws that only elite quarterbacks can make.
Mayfield’s play would be of lesser concern if it weren’t for the fact that the Browns had a complete franchise overhaul. When you have Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. on the same team, you’re bound to put up some magical stats. Moreso, that duo was even being touted as the best WR duo in the league. But, due to Mayfield’s struggles, that wasn’t the case. Mayfield suffered back-to-back interceptions with his third one coming on his last throw of a game, and it was returned for a touchdown.
Last year’s top pick was sacked five times including once in the endzone for a safety. That number is simply too often for a quarterback the (supposed) high-caliber of Mayfield. Cleveland’s offensive line did no good by Mayfield. He ended the game with a very underwhelming 5.7 passing yards per attempt.
Mayfield and the Browns go to Metlife Stadium to face the Jets next week. If anything, Mayfield is a lock to have a better performance this time around. He feeds off having a chip on his shoulder and being an underdog which could end up being all the motivation Mayfield needs. For the time being, however, the Browns hype train has broken down.
Stock Up: Patrick Mahomes and Sammy Watkins vs. Jaguars
Mahomes’ Week 1 Stats: 75.8% completion percentage, 378 passing yards, 3 passing touchdowns, and a 143.2 passer rating.
Watkins’ Week 1 Stats: 9 receptions, 198 receiving yards, and 3 receiving touchdowns.
There’s a reason why I paired Mahomes with Watkins here. It’s because, together, they put up what was arguably the best offensive display by a QB-WR duo in Week 1. Mahomes is the reigning MVP and picked up right where he left off. In an expected dominating offensive display, every single throw Mahomes made was just beautiful. From dazzling rainbow passes to missed no-looks, Mahomes was his usual self.
With the tons and tons of weapons that the Chiefs have this season, Mahomes almost seems to have a better team around him offensively. He and Tyreek Hill suffered injuries during the game, which will force the latter to miss a few weeks. Even without Hill, Mahomes should flourish if Watkins proves he can fill Hill’s shoes. And, that’s certainly possible with performances like this.
Looking at Sammy Watkins, he torched the Jaguars defense – a defense that’s widely regarded as one of the best in the league. Watkins earns a stock up due to his yard and touchdown numbers, both career-highs for the 26-year-old. Against an elite Jaguars’ secondary, Watkins played like an elite wide receiver. And, as alluded to before, it’s performances like these that are going to be needed in order to fill the void left by Tyreek Hill.
The combo of Mahomes and Watkins is going to be a huge problem. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re continually on the stock up. Mahomes, if it wasn’t clear already, is my pick for MVP, and so far it’s a pretty solid prediction. Sammy Watkins will be the WR1 for Kansas City while Hill is sidelined. Above all, this game showed that the Chiefs are going to be nasty this season. If they can do what they did against a prominent Jacksonville defense, who knows what they can do next week against the Raiders.
Stock Down: Mitchell Trubisky vs. Packers
Week 1 Stats: 57.8 completion percentage, 228 passing yards, 1 interception, and a 62.1 passer rating.
Can we get a stock down for the entire game? From an analytic perspective, defense wins championships. From a fan perspective, that game was just terrible. Mitch Trubisky had a bad game all-around. Can you believe that according to Caesar’s Palace, Mitchell Trubisky was the most popular bet to win MVP? I can’t either.
For starters, Trubisky showed a glaring inability to pass to his left. To add onto that, he had multiple passes that should’ve been intercepted by the Packers’ defense. Even at North Carolina, Trubisky’s biggest weaknesses included passing to the left. That was his biggest struggle in the NFL’s season opener.
In what was a high school-level intelligence play, Trubisky stared down the spot where he looked to throw the ball late in the fourth quarter. Any smart defender would know where the ball was going. That was exactly the case for Green Bay’s Adrian Amos who intercepted Trubisky’s pass (that was to the left) with 1:50 remaining.
Chicago has the best defense in the NFL. However, the Bears are never going to reach their potential if Trubisky isn’t on point. This game against Green Bay should’ve been a win for the Bears. But, because of the sub-par play of Trubisky, that wasn’t the result. You guys get the point here about Trubisky and how he clearly needs to equal the consistency of his defense.
The Bears face off against the Redskins next who had a better showing than the Packers did this week. If anything, Trubisky will have even more pressure on him to prevent an 0-2 start on a team that went 12-4 last season. The stock is down on Trubisky, but let’s hope that doesn’t remain the case on a team some had going to the Super Bowl last season.
Stock Up: Dak Prescott vs. Giants
Week 1 Stats: 78.1 completion percentage, 405 passing yards, 4 passing touchdowns, and a perfect 158.3 passer rating.
Dak Prescott was the best quarterback in Week 1. Unlike his teammate Ezekiel Elliot, Prescott elected to play to earn his money. By that I mean he wasn’t going to take a stance against the front office. He simply looks to let his play do the talking, and that’s what he did against the Giants.
Prescott looked like a veteran quarterback last Sunday. His poise, consistency, and play made me think that he’s ready to lead the Cowboys to the Super Bowl. You can argue that Prescott had much to prove going into this week’s game. Not only did he have to prove he’s among the NFL’s elite quarterbacks, but he also had to prove that he deserves to be paid like one. Granted, the NFL’s best QB’s aren’t necessarily the highest-paid, but you get the point.
He showed up, balled out, and proved to me that he’s worth the big money. Small sample size? Yes. The biggest question will now be whether or not Prescott is ready to be consistently great. Jerry Jones has already described an extension for the 26-year-old as “imminent.” As the weeks go on, Prescott is going to have to raise his stock higher and higher. He’s a quarterback to watch this season for many reasons.
Wrapping It Up
These are the performances that stood out to me in Week 1 of the new season. Andy Dalton’s 418-yard, two-touchdown game can also be discussed as well as the Raiders’ Josh Jacobs’ exhilarating debut. You can even throw Marlon Mack’s 174 rushing-yard game in there as well. At the end of the day, the three stock ups that I gave are the ones that captivated and impressed me the most. For the stock downs, they simply didn’t play up top the level that we expect as NFL fans. As we go into Week 2 of the new season, let’s hope that those who’s stock has fallen can step up, and those who’s stock has risen can keep up the great play.
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